Student review [#19570] for International and European Law
at University of Amsterdam - UvA

I have applied to several EU law Master’s programs in the Netherlands after obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in the same subject in the country. I have been accepted to all my chosen universities, so I really weighed my options before deciding to come to UvA. Since all of the unis were comparable in terms of their educational quality, I ended up choosing Uni of Amsterdam due to the location of the campus, the international make-up of the student body and the English-spoken extracurricular associations and activities.

Now I know that I made the best choice possible – the international crowd keeps both the classroom and the social life exciting, the Roeterseiland faculty is easily reached by public transport (and has some lovely, cheap bars for after-class mingling in its vicinity) and the associations are a great addition to my CV!

The classes are divided between lectures (hosted by a roaster of teachers) and small seminars (usually all conducted by the same tutor), so you get to know the teaching staff pretty well by the end of each school period. I really like the fact that assessment is varied and doesn’t just rely on the end-term exams; most classes involve a mix of graded presentations, written assignments, and group work to keep things diverse.

Since I already did EU law in my undergrad, I find most of the content to be an expansion of what I had already studied before. However, the teachers make sure to include current developments in the curricula and to discuss the legal issues in their social and political context, which makes it much more applicable to real-life problems. If you’re a fan of EU politics, it’s genuinely exciting to read some news about European Council meetings and to draw connections between the things the leaders discussed and what you’ve learned in the classroom.

One big downside to the degree is actually more connected to the Uni more broadly, and that is the housing situation in Amsterdam. It is rather difficult to find a decently priced place closer to the centre, but it’s not impossible! You just have to start looking for your apartment in advance. If your place ends up being further away from your campus, make sure that you’re prepared for long-distance biking or that you can reach a bus/tram/metro stop easily.

Other than that, I would wholeheartedly recommend the EU Law degree at UvA to anyone interested in a career in EU affairs or beyond!